passivi

Passivi refers to the passive voice in grammar, a set of constructions in which the action is directed at the patient rather than the agent. In a passive clause, the subject typically undergoes the action, while the agent, if mentioned, may be expressed by a preposition or omitted altogether. The passive contrasts with the active voice, which centers on the doer of the action.

Across languages, passives can be formed in different ways. They can be periphrastic, using an auxiliary verb plus a participle, or synthetic, where the verb morphology encodes voice. In English, the canonical form is be + past participle (The cake was eaten). Tense and aspect are shown by the auxiliary and the participle, and the agent is often optional or added with by.

Italian follows a periphrastic pattern with the auxiliary essere and a past participle. The participle agrees in gender and number with the subject (La torta è stata mangiata). The agent may be introduced by da or left implicit in impersonal statements. Italian also offers impersonal or passive-like constructions with se for specific stylistic effects.

Usage and variation: Passives are common in formal writing and in contexts where the agent is unknown, irrelevant, or deliberately de-emphasized. Some languages provide impersonal or pseudo-passive constructions (for example, using si in Italian). The choice between active, passive, and impersonal forms depends on emphasis, information structure, and stylistic goals.